Survey Says: Village council likes what they see in Zelenak

Paul Zelenak stands ni font of the iconic arches of the downtown government building. Photo by G. Ouzounian (click for larger version)

April 06, 2011 - Lake Orion Village Manager Paul Zelenak has been approved for another year at his position, and according to his employers, he's not taking the job lightly.

Village President Ken Van Portfliet said despite the positive response Zelenak received at his approval meeting, he only seemed interested in areas where he could improve. Categories reviewed included managerial performance, problem solving, job responsibilities, budgeting, and professional reputation.

"There's a scale from one to five for these different areas, and he averaged 4.1, and I've told him I don't think it's possible to get a five overall," Van Portfliet said. "After the council turned in their evaluations, a couple of important things shone through for me; Zelenak didn't gloat on his good review, and he wanted to go through and thoroughly evaluate where he wasn't as high as he felt he could have been.

"He scored high in his community involvement, fiscal responsibilities, and in all honesty I didn't see any trouble spots, but all he did was focus on areas of additional improvement."

Van Portfliet said Zelenak compares highly to past village managers, that he has compassion for Lake Orion's community, and that the position is "not just a job for him." He added Zelenak is seeking to move into Lake Orion, puts in a good amount of volunteer time, and that he genuinely listens to people.

Council Member John Ranville agreed, "The evaluation went very good, with everyone giving him high marks, but he understands there's always room for improvement," Ranville, who has been involved with Lake Orion Village government since the inception of the Village Manager Position, said. "He walked right into the Streetscape Project, and even though he had a pretty full plate, he still found time to reach out to the merchants in the area.

"I think he's one of the best managers Lake Orion has ever had, and I've worked for every manager the village has ever had. He's doing an outstanding job, and I support him 100 percent."

Ranville also noted as the council gets to know Zelenak better, the whole operation has run much smoother. He praised Zelenak